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Maxine’s New Girl Gang: ‘It’s a Fabulous Relationship,’ Says Nikki Sanderson

In recent episodes of Hollyoaks, Maxine has formed a close bond with Sienna, Dilly, and Liberty. Nikki Sanderson, who plays Maxine, describes their dynamic as a “fabulous relationship, a kind of little girl gang together.” She adds, “It’s so much fun on set, we just have the best time together. Everyone bounces off each other, and it just works so well. It’s been wonderful for me to have that new element of Maxine being with the girls and she is family.”

Jeremy’s presence in the village brings back painful memories for Maxine, causing an initial negative impact. “It’s extremely triggering for Maxine to visually have that reminder of the man who abused her for all those years,” Nikki reveals. However, she hints at potential growth, stating, “Maxine does realize that Jeremy is a completely different person. It’s just hard at first because of the visual representation of Patrick.”

Reflecting on her past scenes with Jeremy Sheffield, Nikki admits, “It’s strange because it’s such a long time ago, and there was that horrific dynamic between Maxine and Patrick.” Despite the challenges, she finds it interesting to build a new relationship with Jeremy’s character.

Maxine faces difficulties moving forward with Jeremy around. Nikki explains, “Seeing that man around every corner is difficult for her at first. It’s a transition, it’s something that is going to take time.” When Scott goes missing, Maxine immediately suspects Jeremy, leading to frantic investigations. “Maxine’s state of anxiety is shown when she presumes Jeremy has murdered Scott,” Nikki shares. “She gets a little Columbo head on her and decides to be a detective.”

Recalling her time working with Ross Adams, Nikki says, “We were such a fantastic duo. I think it translates on screen. Every scene we’ve done we’ve just had such a giggle doing it. Laughing constantly off screen, and as soon as we’ve gone in to do our scene, we’ve done our scene and they’ve said ‘cut’ and then we’ve started laughing again together.”

Big changes are ahead for the village with a year’s time jump. While Nikki remains tight-lipped about specifics, she teases, “It’s going to be really exciting to see what is written and I think it’s a fantastic opportunity to give the show a huge shake-up.”

Maxine’s love life remains a focus. “Maxine deserves to find a good man that loves her for her, but her priority is also someone who’s going to be loving and caring towards Minnie,” Nikki states. “She needs someone that would just love her unconditionally and love Minnie unconditionally.”

Looking ahead, Nikki envisions growth for Maxine. “I think she’d love to have more children. I’d like to see her advance in her career. She’s strong and independent. She would love to find someone to complement her as a couple, but she doesn’t need anybody to complete her. She’s always kind and considerate, always wanting to make sure everybody is okay.”

Hollyoaks airs at 7pm on E4